It's all about the turnovers. In OKC's two losses they coughed up the ball 18 times (against SA), and 20 times (against Atlanta). If we can get them to turn the ball over, then we have a shot. Otherwise I think it will be a long night. This is easier said than done, but if we put the pressure on RW and Martin then it may work to our advantage.

I looked at the box score from last season when we got pummeled by OKC. The reason we lost was because our bench was putrid. This year we should have a stronger bench (at least Jose is an upgrade over Uzoh) and OKC's bench got arguably worse with the Harden trade.

Take away the last five minutes of the loss to Indy and the first six minutes of the second quarter in the loss to Brooklyn and the Raptors were up by a collective 11 points in the two losses. In those 11 minutes they were torched a combined 27-7.

Thatís a plus-11 in 85 good minutes and minus 20 in 11 bad ones.

The message was clear. Even with an 0-2 record, the Raps were controlling over 88% of the game. Improve that other 12% and good things would happen.

Thatís what happened Sunday night and itís why the Raptors are heading off on a two-game road trip feeling good about themselves rather than dragging an 0-3 start.

Will be nice to see OKC. Love watching Durant play. Plus, playing OKC means we'll get good officials for the first time this year. That will be a welcome change.

Looking for Val to bounce back after a couple of bleh games. Guards need to get him some easy looks.

I love Val and hope for great success and a long illustrious career... but so far he seems to be outplayed and outWEIGHED by every center we've faced so far... Hibbert, Lopez, Pekovic. Physically speaking, he looks like a kid playing with men. I wonder if he can gain another 20lbs of muscle in the next couple of years or else he's gonna get beat up.

I love Val and hope for great success and a long illustrious career... but so far he seems to be outplayed and outWEIGHED by every center we've faced so far... Hibbert, Lopez, Pekovic. Physically speaking, he looks like a kid playing with men. I wonder if he can gain another 20lbs of muscle in the next couple of years or else he's gonna get beat up.

I think you're right. He's getting outmuscled pretty bad. Perkins ain't a baby either. But it's common for rooks. He'll get bigger I'm sure. Meanwhile he should be trying to use his speed a little more.

I love Val and hope for great success and a long illustrious career... but so far he seems to be outplayed and outWEIGHED by every center we've faced so far... Hibbert, Lopez, Pekovic. Physically speaking, he looks like a kid playing with men. I wonder if he can gain another 20lbs of muscle in the next couple of years or else he's gonna get beat up.

I am 6'7"/6'8".

When I was 18 I weighed 175.

When I was 20 I weighted about 205.

When I was 23 I was at 235.

I have no question he will add weight and more strength. For the majority of tall, lanky people, it just takes time. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course, but that relates to genetics.

You can see differences just in looking at pictures from now and 2 years ago.

When I was 18 I weighed 175.
When I was 20 I weighted about 205.
When I was 23 I was at 235.

I have no question he will add weight and more strength. For the majority of tall, lanky people, it just takes time. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course, but that relates to genetics.

You can see differences just in looking at pictures from now and 2 years ago.

I believe the exception to the rule was Lebron. He was a beast at 18 yrs old, a complete man-child.

JV is better off than a lot of young bigs coming in at least. He is lean but muscular compared to skinny beanpoles like Marcus Camby. Camby now came in at 223 lbs, while JV is already 240 (both listed as 6'11"). Also, look at Anthony Davis, 6'10", 222lbs. He is already behind JV in the mass game. A guy who was 240 lbs coming in was Patrick Ewing, so maybe JV is the next Patrick Ewing. I think most Rap fans would take that.

I love Val and hope for great success and a long illustrious career... but so far he seems to be outplayed and outWEIGHED by every center we've faced so far... Hibbert, Lopez, Pekovic. Physically speaking, he looks like a kid playing with men. I wonder if he can gain another 20lbs of muscle in the next couple of years or else he's gonna get beat up.

LOL, you got me thinking about how much I weighed when I was 20 and how much I weigh now (35..sigh). JV shouldn't have a problem putting on the pounds as he gets older.

i think the key to beating the thunder is getting westbrook to try and be the man. when they spread the ball around and work it through durant they're near impossible to beat, but when westbrook decides hes going to win the game himself and ends up taking 20+ shots they can implode. look for lowry to be a agitator.

i think the key to beating the thunder is getting westbrook to try and be the man. when they spread the ball around and work it through durant they're near impossible to beat, but when westbrook decides hes going to win the game himself and ends up taking 20+ shots they can implode. look for lowry to be a agitator.

+1

Look for Lowry to be an agitator every game, that is Lowry and why he is perfect for this team.

Will be nice to see OKC. Love watching Durant play. Plus, playing OKC means we'll get good officials for the first time this year. That will be a welcome change.

Looking for Val to bounce back after a couple of bleh games. Guards need to get him some easy looks.

NBA refs are excellent. They are well paid and well trained. Every game there are contentious calls that could go either way and yes, they do miss some plays on occasion but they are UNBIASED and NOT working against the Raptors. Over the years the game has become more physical because much of the contact is now deemed "incidental" to minimize play stoppage and keep the game flowing.

i think the key to beating the thunder is getting westbrook to try and be the man. when they spread the ball around and work it through durant they're near impossible to beat, but when westbrook decides hes going to win the game himself and ends up taking 20+ shots they can implode. look for lowry to be a agitator.

Some good analysis. People get overwhelmed by the athleticism, forget about how many other (negative) ways he can influence the game.

That last missed defensive assignment was....wow; I remember when I was in high school...

I love Val and hope for great success and a long illustrious career... but so far he seems to be outplayed and outWEIGHED by every center we've faced so far... Hibbert, Lopez, Pekovic. Physically speaking, he looks like a kid playing with men. I wonder if he can gain another 20lbs of muscle in the next couple of years or else he's gonna get beat up.

I'll disagree a little here. Pekovic out-muscled him but Pekovic can out-muscle most of the centers in the NBA. It's more a case of poor positioning. In transition, he needs to pick up closer to the foul line instead of waiting until the offensive player is already in the lane. It's too late by then. Once they catch the ball, he has a tendency to really lean on guys, which is fine except that once they feel an opening on one side, a drop step means a layup. Lopez and Pekovic both took advantage of this.

The center position is the hardest defensive position to play because you have to coordinate the defense, be available for weakside help, play solid man-to-man, get into rebounding position, and, in the NBA, play the pick and roll 23 feet from the basket, too. Then, he has to worry about being productive offensively. It's gonna take time.

NBA refs are excellent. They are well paid and well trained. Every game there are contentious calls that could go either way and yes, they do miss some plays on occasion but they are UNBIASED and NOT working against the Raptors. Over the years the game has become more physical because much of the contact is now deemed "incidental" to minimize play stoppage and keep the game flowing.

Really?

The NBA is far far less physical than it has been.

In this case, there was no technical, ejection, flagarant foul, suspension.... nothing.

Also in today's game there is no handchecking on the perimeter. I can only shudder to think what Jordan would have done without handchecking.

Watch some of the highlights of the Detroit Pistons Bad Boys years:

Then there is Riley with the Knicks in the 1990's:

I don't think the league is ANYWHERE NEAR as physical as it was 15 years ago and earlier. Basically since the end of handchecking.

NBA refs are excellent. They are well paid and well trained. Every game there are contentious calls that could go either way and yes, they do miss some plays on occasion but they are UNBIASED and NOT working against the Raptors. Over the years the game has become more physical because much of the contact is now deemed "incidental" to minimize play stoppage and keep the game flowing.

Who said it had anything to do with bias against Toronto? What are you talking about? Nothing to do with bias. Better officials referee the better teams in the NBA. It has been that way for 30 years. If you get the better refs, you get better officiating. Not sure why this is hard to understand.

Who said it had anything to do with bias against Toronto? What are you talking about? Nothing to do with bias. Better officials referee the better teams in the NBA. It has been that way for 30 years. If you get the better refs, you get better officiating. Not sure why this is hard to understand.

I want to see DeMar be aggressive against Martin, I think he has the strength advantage there and could force his way to the line.

He'll likely see a lot more of Thabo though, and that's a tough match up for nearly every wing in the league. The key in that situation is to get DeMar involved within the flow of the offense, be it coming off screens, in transition, or on basket cuts. If the ball sticks to DeMar's hands and he starts going ISO against one of the league's premier defenders, they're in for a long night.